The Golf Prize That Brought a TV Chef Into Our Kitchen

Saturday night our games parlour transformed into a private dining room, set for three courses of culinary delights. The privilege of this experience was won by Phil at the annual Matt Lannon Memorial Golf Tournament — one of the only times either of us willingly engage with golf, but an excellent reason to support local mental health initiatives while competing for prizes we would never normally seek out ourselves. And to remember a dear friend.

That’s how local private chef Alexandra Wachs walked into our lives.

One sunny Sunday in September, I picked up Phil — along with his father’s golf clubs — from Thundering Waters Golf Course.

“I won prizes—let’s go get them,” he squealed.

After returning his cart and removing the disco-themed decorations (a fitting tribute to Matt), Phil sprinted into the clubhouse. Five minutes later he burst back out yelling “I won!” like the Old Man in A Christmas Story. Among the bottles of wine and gift certificates was the standout prize: an at-home private dining experience for four with Alexandra (or Alex: “Either or”).

Alex has been connected to the Lannon family through one of the tournament organizers, Andrea, and donates a private dinner each year to support the fundraiser. As people who work in events and fundraising, we deeply appreciate small businesses that contribute to community efforts in ways they can.

March 7 would be my night off from cooking — thanks to Phil’s good fortune and Alex’s generosity. The two had been exchanging emails for weeks, planning the menu and preparing us for something new.

Along with the usual deep clean of every surface visible to guests, our games table would undergo a dramatic transformation into a properly set dining table. A dusty book about dinner party hosting sent me on a quick trip to HomeSense for actual placemats and cloth napkins — apparently essential for a proper dinner party.

This wasn’t like the gatherings we usually host. Our tables are normally covered with snack bowls and the fridge stocked with ready-made cocktails. Knowing Alex would bring a high level of attentiveness to the evening, I felt obligated to match that energy.

The table was set, champagne chilling, and the kitchen spotless when Alex arrived carrying what looked like an entire travelling kitchen — pots, pans, prepared ingredients and even her own cleaning supplies.

Our job was simply to relax and enjoy the night.

Alex greeted us with hugs and an easy warmth that immediately set the tone. She had the calm confidence of someone accustomed to walking into strangers’ homes and running the kitchen. The connection was instant.

For the past five years — since the birth of her son — Alex has worked as a private chef. Restaurant life had meant weekends away from family, something she wanted to change. Now she focuses on intimate dining experiences like ours.

“I get to make my own schedule, usually cooking for groups two or three times a week,” she told us. “Plus there’s all the shopping, prep and administration. It’s a full-time job and I love it.”

Before starting her own business, she worked in several Niagara kitchens. In a small-world twist, we discovered we had both once worked at the Anchorage Bar & Grill in Niagara-on-the-Lake — now sadly torn down.

What we did not discuss was her successful appearance on the Food Network show Wall of Chefs. How did I, a reality TV fan, not know that we had a winning chef in our kitchen? I would have demanded our landlord make renovations and upgrades kitchen fit for a queen. 

I stupidly forgot to ask for a photo with Alex. TV royalty in our house and me taking photos of other things. C'mon, Ron.

Watch her episode on the GlobalTV.com.

While Alex worked, she entertained our many questions - we needed to know who was invading our kitchen. Trust was immediately built as the scents of her creations wafted our way. Once our guests arrived, the evening truly began. Champagne was poured, conversation flowed, and soon Alex ushered us into the dining room.

Our table looked far more elegant than its usual state, which typically includes board games, empty glasses, my stray socks and mysterious scraps of paper.

Dinner began with butter-poached shrimp served with coconut lemongrass crème, charred pepper and corn salsa, mignonette and crispy wontons.

Just excellent - lots of flavours that melded well. A great first swing on the course.

The main course followed: roasted chicken stuffed with sundried tomato, spinach and cream cheese, served with fondant potatoes, roasted broccoli and local arugula sprouts.

Did you know arugula has a high concentration of vitamin C? Apparently it should be eaten, not pushed aside. I’ll be sure to share this discovery with my nutritionist and watch his eyes say, “obviously.”

Dessert was chocolate lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream and a crumble of chocolate, caramel and toffee. Without realizing it, Alex had served my all-time favourite dessert — one I usually only encounter in cruise ship dining rooms.

The cake was perfectly underbaked, allowing molten chocolate to spill onto the toffee crumble below. I paired it with my own contribution to the evening: homemade espresso martinis, my first attempt at the popular cocktail.

As we lingered over drinks, Alex returned to say goodbye. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed our kitchen was spotless and every dish had been quietly washed and put away. Normally I slip away from conversation to begin cleanup so I’m not up late doing dishes.

But Alex had already taken care of it all.

Like any good chef, she slipped out almost as quietly as she arrived — leaving behind satisfied guests and empty plates.

I can’t believe I didn’t get a photo with Alex, to go with my photo of Parvati Shallow from Survivor. Next time, because there will be a next time.

Ways to connect with Alex:
Instagram: @alexeats
Email: alexeatsbookings@hotmail.com